GNC sued for false claims in PA

Health product retailer GNC was sued on Feb. 5, 2014 for mislabeling one of its products, according to The Pennsylvania Record
Stacey Wright sued the company in Pennsylvania federal court, alleging that its ginkgo biloba product doesn’t actually contain ginkgo biloba.

The suit comes after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman conducted DNA tests on the product, and found no ginkgo biloba in it. The attorney general issued a cease-and-desist letter to GNC, ordering the company to stop selling the product in the State of New York.

In addition to seeking class status for anyone who purchased the ginkgo biloba product since Feb. 6, 2009, the lawsuit also seeks a sub-class for all Pennsylvania citizens who purchased the product.

The lawsuit alleges that GNC has only pulled the product from New York stores, but not from other stores around the country. GNC also has not offered to refund purchases of the product to anyone, including in New York.

The plaintiff seeks class status, more than $5 million in damages and court costs in the lawsuit.